Mario Ochoa is the co-owner and Chief Strategic Officer for Sammis & Ochoa , a San Antonio-based public relations agency. A lifelong Alamo City resident, Mario specializes in strategic planning, media relations, copywriting and looking at the glass half-full.

Note: This is an mySA.com City Brights Blog. These blogs are not written or edited by mySA or the San Antonio Express-News. The authors are solely responsible for the content.

Morgan’s Momentous Molding

Bittersweet. My feelings as I enter in to the last week of my internship. Bitter because I am sad to leave Sammis & Ochoa as a summer intern, but sweet because what I’m leaving with.

I’m leaving not only with experience and knowledge I previously didn’t possess, but also with encouragement and fire for a role in public relations, and with people I can call friends. Being here two days a week for just one summer is limiting. It feels like I just skimmed the tip of the iceberg. But that is still a great amount! It only took a chunk to sink a ship, how much more could my internship then be sunk into something legendary? Okay, maybe not the best analogy since the Titanic was also a tragedy, but my point is that even though the giant ideas and small details can birth intimidation to the PR monster, the pure exposure to the all-encompassing factors brings excitement and goes to show that there’s always room for more growing. With time, energy and guidance learning is made possible. And if I’ve learned anything from S&O, the big picture is found when looking into the possibilities.

In my first blog To Intern or Not to Intern, That is the Question, I closed with, “At the end of my first internship, I look forward to reflecting on my accomplishments, spreading energy, and using what I’ve learned in just one summer in my future ventures.” Reflecting on my accomplishments, I’ve been lucky enough to work closely with some awe-inspiring organizations. I’ve had the opportunity to attend community events, meet producers and experience the passion and creations behind their organizations and helping the public relations pros see ideas through to fruition. Just being included in the partnership between S&O and the organizations we work with to enrich the community and the lives of people, is an accomplishment alone. Of course on my resume I would list more specific accomplishments; like writing press releases, articles and networking through social media, but for me the accomplishments lie in the experiences and relationships gained.

“Kicking ass and taking names” is a mentality instilled in my mind and my attitude, virally passed among our team here at Sammis & Ochoa. I think it goes without explanation that we don’t literally kick people’s behinds nor steal identities, but that we look beyond the numbers and deliver full service with energy, emphasise the client and do it all while “singing songs,” as Tanya would say. Simply doing that every day and in everything we do yields significant, tangible benefits and blessings for everyone involved. I plan to spread this approach not only to work or public relations, but in services to people in my daily life.

My internship is over, but rather than thinking of it as intern over, I coined the term internover,” meaning: I was poured into through my internship, in turn of what I learned here, I can turn over my cup of knowledge and experience into another cup- whether it be a company, person, or another internship. The end of my journey here at S&O is only the beginning of a new journey. I’ll build upon what I started here- it’s an awesome loop that keeps on flowing. And because I’m grateful to those who took me in and shaped me in such little time but in big ways, I feel inclined and delighted to pay it forward to others who may want to follow the same path. The beauty of it is, no matter how far upward I grow in this PR direction, I will always know where it started and remember the core values so delicately passed along to a young mind like me.